People gather to pray outside an abortion clinic in Germantown, Md., Dec. 11, after attending an early morning Mass at nearby Mother Seton Church.

GERMANTOWN, Md. (CNS)—Washington Auxiliary Bishop Martin D. Holley
asked the congregation at a Germantown church to pray for a conversion
of heart of a doctor performing late-term abortions at a clinic nearby,
so "life may be respected inside and outside of the womb."

About 700 Catholics gathered for an early morning Mass at Mother Seton
Church in suburban Washington Dec. 11, and then they prayerfully
processed to the clinic just around the corner where Dr. LeRoy Carhart
is working.

Bishop Holley was the main celebrant of the Mass, assisted by several
priests and deacons. The large crowd filled the pews, leaving some to
stand at the back of the church and in the aisles.

The protest was held in between two feasts that remind Catholics to
reflect on the sacred nature of life in the womb -- the feast of the
Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8) and the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe,
patroness of the Americas also known as protector of the unborn (Dec.
12). As the protesters put on their winter hats and coats and
prayerfully processed toward the abortion clinic—reciting the rosary
and singing hymns—several people carried images of Our Lady of
Guadalupe.

Carhart left Nebraska to come to Maryland to perform late-term abortions
after his state passed a law prohibiting abortion after the 20th week
of pregnancy. The doctor began working at the Germantown clinic Dec. 6,
and he also will perform abortions at a clinic in Iowa. The Washington
Post reported that Carhart chose the Germantown location based on a
number of factors, including which jurisdiction had the most favorable
laws for abortion. The doctor also will perform abortions at a clinic in
Iowa.

Christa Lopiccolo, executive director of life issues for the Archdiocese
of Washington, said Carhart's arrival points to the laxity of Maryland
laws and the need for change.

In an earlier interview, she said, "Carhart, as a proponent of late-term
abortions, represents the failure of Maryland legislation to protect
these vulnerable children— children who, in different circumstances,
would be rescued by the advances in medical science and allowed to
survive outside the womb."

She said she hopes the protest will send a message: "We are not going away, we will keep a continued presence here."

During next spring's 40 Days for Life campaign, Lopiccolo said she plans
to encourage people to keep a constant prayer vigil outside the
Germantown clinic. She also thanked the large crowd for their quick
response and participation in the Dec. 11 protest.

Peter Davio, the Maryland state deputy of the Knights of Columbus,
attended the event with several members of his organization. He said the
Knights of Columbus as a strong pro-life organization stands firmly
against Carhart's arrival in Germantown.

"Essentially, what we are talking about is a doctor coming into our area
who wants to openly offer abortion services up to the ninth month," he
said.

Estefania Ellis, a 25-year-old parishioner of Our Lady of Lourdes in
Bethesda who attended the rally with her husband, Stephen, said it is
"shocking" to know that late-term abortions are occurring in her own
state.

"As a young woman, I pray that other young woman know that they don't
have to do this," she told the Catholic Standard, newspaper of the
Washington Archdiocese.

Jessica Burris, a parishioner of St. Rose of Lima Parish in
Gaithersburg, came with her five children, including her youngest,
2-year-old Cecilia, to pray for an end to abortion.

She said she hopes her children learn at an early age that "it is important to respect life."

Before the procession to the clinic began, Father Carlos Benetiz, pastor
of Mother Seton, urged participants to "pray that we go forth full of
mercy, full of love, full of courage."